Since the advent of commercial aviation in the early twentieth century, there has been little concern from an environmental standpoint with the waste products generated during the washing of aircraft. Airplanes are generally washed on a daily basis at a washing station at the airport or the aircraft storage facility. An airplane is hand washed by maintenance personnel using soap and water, long-handled brushes and high pressure water hoses. The dirt removed from the airplane along with the soap and water collects on the floor surface of the washing location and is typically drained into the local sewer system or directly runs off as ground water.
De-icing of airplanes, required prior to takeoff during cold weather, likewise introduces chemicals and other contaminants into the sewer system and local ground water. An airplane taxis to the de-icing station and a mixture of glycol and water is sprayed with high pressure hoses onto the airplane body and wings to eliminate ice from the airplane. The residual glycol and water mixture that fall to the ground eventually drains into the sewer system or local ground water.
In 1990 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency adopted regulations designed to eliminate storm water discharges associated with industrial activity. Because of these regulations, it became necessary to minimize the environmental impact from the residual waste fluids generated during both airplane washing and aircraft de-icing procedures. These regulations prohibit these residual waste fluids in an untreated condition from being introduced into storm water drainage, and in some cases the local sewer systems.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,090,588 (Van Romer) discloses a portable containment mat that collects pesticides and other toxic materials that might otherwise contaminate ground water when the pesticides are loaded into a crop dusting airplane. The airplane is taxied onto the containment mat which has deformable upstanding sidewalls. After loading the pesticides, the airplane is taxied off the containment mat and the sidewalls spring back up to contain any spilled pesticides. While this design functions to contain spilled pesticides on the containment mat, there is no apparatus provided to remove the pesticides from the mat or to recycle the contained materials for reuse.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a fluid recapture system that collects residual waste fluids from airplane washing or aircraft de-icing procedures and recycles these fluids for separation and reuse.
It is a feature of the present invention to provide a fluid recapture system that includes a containment mat that collects residual waste fluids from airplane washing or de-icing, a vacuum system that removes the fluids from the containment mat and a recycling apparatus that separates the fluids for reuse.
It is an advantage of the present invention that residual waste fluids generated during airplane washing or de-icing procedures are captured and recycled thus preventing these fluids from entering the storm water drainage or sewer system or from contaminating ground water supplies.
Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description.